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1970 State Champion Track Team | Estacado High School

The Matadors had the lead at the 1969 state track meet but didn’t have a mile relay team in the last race. That proved costly as Angleton did have a team and they won the race and the state championship over second place Estacado. Head Coach Hollis Gainey and Assistant Coach Gene Murrell decided right then to make sure the Matadors didn’t find themselves in that position again. In 1970, the Matadors had their sights set on winning the state championship. Led by the sprint relay team made up of William Hall, Joe Benson, Marvin Turner, Jesse Lethridge, and Lawrence Gipson, there was good reason to believe they could accomplish their goal. The Matadors knew they had to have a great mile relay team. As it turned out, the team they put together of Joe Benson, Paul Moody, William Hall, and Marvin Turner was exactly what they needed. They won all the way through regionals and qualified for the UIL State Meet. At the state meet, the 440 relay team ran a state record tying 41.3. Even though Jesse Lethridge was hampered by leg problems, he still got points in the 100 and 200 meter dashes as well. Going into the mile relay, Estacado had 23 points, Dickinson had 22, and Falfurrias had 21. Like the year before, it all came down to the last race. But this time the story would end differently. The Matadors won the mile relay with a time of 3:30.1 to outpoint second place Gainesville 43-32. The 1970 Estacado Matadors were Track State Champions. When the meet concluded, the Matadors were presented with the state championship trophy and Jesse Lethridge was named to the All-State Track Team. The remarkable start in athletics for Estacado High School continued to flourish.
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